Ok, I'm bored tonight.....

[predfan2001]

Well it's been 6 months since I found this group and bought my first rep. Now I'm at that magical point when I look down and add up what I've spent and think "I could have bought a gen!". But I've had tons of fun with this hobby and I have learned alot. Visiting this site has become a daily routine. The RWG is full of information that has been very educational to me and I hope to learn more. I've been able to use some of the things I have learned from other hobbies in mod'ing reps. I also restore vintage cars, build military models and restore antique toy trucks. My next project is a 5513 Submariner rep that I plan on "vintaging" quite a bit. I plan on doing some dry brushing and airbrushing to the dial I have chosen, skills I have learned from model building.

In the past, I have owned several Rolex and Omega watches (and they are the only reps I own..love'em) but now I have to admit, I knew very little about them. It's a wonder I never got screwed! I am also a member of a Rolex forum and knowing what I know now, some of the posts there are humorous. Many of those guys are spending thousands for gens and have no idea if they are gen of fake. I truely feel that if you want to know gens, you have to know reps.

Ok, I'm rambling.....here's where I'm at with my rep purchases in 6 months:

rep 1: Omega PO 42.5mm from Brand9ave. It came in with a damaged crystal (chipped on the inside). Sent it back.

rep2: Omega UPO from Brand9ave. Replacement for the 42.5mm. Granted the logo has feet and the pearl isn't great, it is a nice and substantial watch.

rep3: Rolex "Steve McQueen" Explorer II w/ asian movement from Trustytime. It didn't even work one day....threw it in the parts heap.

rep4: Omega GMT with asian movement from Trustytime. Fell in love with this watch and invested in a gen SMP band. I wear it almost every day.

rep5: Omega GMT with asian movement from Trustytime. Liked the first one so much, got a second one. Left the "speedy" band on this one.

rep6: Rolex "Ultimate" Submariner from Trustytime. Got this one as a result of problems with the Explorer II. He gave me a huge discount but I hated the conical rehaut. Ended up putting a Tudor dial in it for a beater.

rep7: Rolex 14060 nodate Submariner from Trustytime. Ordered it based on his pics....the watch I received was hidious so I sent it back. Totally misrepresented.

rep8: Rolex "Steve McQueen" Explorer II w/ETA movement from Trustytime. Dead on arrival...sent it back.

rep9: Rolex "Perfect" Sea-Dweller from Trustytime. Replacement for the Explorer II at a discount for the trouble. He didn't want to give me a refund and offered this watch. I don't really like Sea-Dwellers so I've never worn it. It looks pretty good I guess. At this point I chose to shop elsewhere for reps....to many problems with Trustytime. Yes, Andrew is nice. I just have no luck with his products and returns to China get expensive.

rep10: Rolex "no crown guard" Submariner from Silix. I like the watch, but I had to install a NATO strap because the lugholes are drilled way to far in and a band will not stay on it good. The springbars were bent from the factory to get the band on. Still a cool watch for the price.

rep11: Rolex 5517 Submariner from Silix. I've really had fun with this one. My first serious attempts at mods.

rep12: Rolex "red" 1680 Submariner from Silix. A great ETA Sub for the money. Date mag is weak but it functions perfectly. Getting ready to start a few mods.

rep13: Rolex 5517 Submariner from Silix. Liked the first one so much I got another one. I'm going to "vintage" this one a little more.

I also now own a "amateur" selection of new and vintage watch tools I've aquired from eBay. I'm also massing quite a big scrap heap of parts, but it gives me something to do.

The photography section has even inspired me to scrap my old 1.3mp camera and got a 6.0. Pug's tips in the photography area helped me take better pics

Thanks to all who post here. Your posts are helpful to all of us wheather we work on them or just wear them

Edited October 7, 2007 by predfan2001

[cornerstone]

A NATO strap fan I see!

Thanks for the insight into your collection!

[perry563]

I have 13 reps and all work fine. Only issue I had was the quick date set of my Hublot BB never worked from day 1. aside from this one small issue I have 13 reps that are running like a champ. No issues! am I lucky?

[jiro]

Great watches you have there my friend~!

A true rollie and omeega fan you are~!

How about some breit. and tag now~?

[Guest carlsbadrolex]

So Im not the only one with a desk full of spare parts... Although, I would say that is a hefty collection after just 6 months. I have now cataloged and boxed most of my spare parts. Im going to build a car out of them some day soon!

[Slartibartfast]

Wow, your collection aside, that's one hell of a work bench! Truly a place of worship! No need to say "enjoy" I can see you already are!

[predfan2001]

Wow, your collection aside, that's one hell of a work bench! Truly a place of worship! No need to say "enjoy" I can see you already are!

Thanks! It's not much, but I have enough tools to do a complete and proper disassembly and reassembly. I already had many tools that I use for mods (drill press, buffer, Dremel...). I would advise anybody thinking about taking their watch apart to invest in the proper tools first.

As you can see in the pic, I have several cheap tools like the pin press, crystal press and other misc tools. Cheap plastic tools like these are fine and get the job done but I would recommend purchasing high quality Swiss or vintage tools such as screwdrivers, picks, tweezers, hand pullers and punches.

Edited November 3, 2007 by predfan2001

[mediawonk]

Thanks! It's not much, but I have enough tools to do a complete and proper disassembly and reassembly. I already had many tools that I use for mods (drill press, buffer, Dremel...). I would advise anybody thinking about taking their watch apart to invest in the proper tools first.

As you can see in the pic, I have several cheap tools like the pin press, crystal press and other misc tools. Cheap plastic tools like these are fine and get the job done but I would recommend purchasing high quality Swiss or vintage tools such as screwdrivers, picks, tweezers, hand pullers and punches.

Like the watches dont like the guns I think you could defend your self by flashing a good rep at the intruder as he will get jelous and just run back to his mom instead.

I noticed you had two 'McQueen' Explorers one Asian one Swiss both not working . Well I had The same watch from Andy at tt and its as trusty as a trusty old thing. I can see why they werent popular in their day as the face is a bit of a mess You cant see where the markers at a glance . If you were dangling from a mountain on a bosuns chair and someone threw you a rope at the same time as asking you the time you would miss the rope and fall . some explorer.

Edited January 19, 2008 by mediawonk